The
Witchdoctor’s
Bones
PRAISE FOR LISA DE NIKOLITS AND THE WITCHDOCTOR’S BONES
Beautiful, sexy, exciting, mysterious, dangerous and twisted. Those words can be used to describe not only the alluring locations depicted in Lisa de Nikolits’ thrilling novel The Witchdoctor’s Bones, but also some of the eclectic characters fatefully traveling together on a tour bus through South Africa and Namibia. A suspenseful page-turner that will bewitch you until the end.
— ALEXANDER GALANT, author of Depth of Deception (A Titanic Murder Mystery)
Imagine you’ve signed up for a low-budget safari in South Africa and find yourself cheek-to-cheek on a battered van with the most bizarre travellers you’ve ever met — except in some ways they do remind you of characters you’ve encountered in a late-night screening of Moulin Rouge. You know, the kinds of people you don’t naturally gravitate toward but whom you’re unable to ignore. You’re drawn in. Illicit love, rejected love, misfired love, machinations of all sorts, and all involving characters of dubious integrity and (in some cases) of questionable sanity. Such are the players in Lisa de Nikolits’s, The Witchdoctor’s Bones, who’ve embarked on a journey that soon seethes with peril (physical and psychological), and not solely because of the wild creatures roaming the bush veld.
By planting her characters in the untamed landscape of the South African wilderness, de Nikolits has stripped away the niceties and rigours of polite society. Nothing is familiar. Nor do people even speak the same language. Tour leader Jono whispers in his Khosa tongue, only to be drowned out by the harsh words of Stepfan, the German. One imagines sweet-talking Kate, the Canadian, is the closest thing you get to a heroine in The Witchdoctor’s Bones, as proof that the best woman will be left standing. As safari guide Jono cautions his guests early in the novel, “This is a land of heat and dust and you will wonder how anybody survived?”
—DOUG O’NEILL, Executive Editor, Canadian Living
Fascinating South African lore comes to life in The Witchdoctor’s Bones. De Nikolits gives us more than an intriguing mystery — a look at the dark side of the human soul and the healing power of love.
—D. J. MCINTOSH, author of The Witch of Babylon and The Book of Stolen Tales
Take sixteen travellers from around the world, gather them on a tour bus bumping its way along the rough roads of South Africa and Namibia, add jealousy, sexual obsession, secrets, violence, magic, poison, mental breakdown and the breathtaking arrogance of tourists treating Africa (and Africans) as their playthings, and you have Lisa de Nikolits’ psychological thriller, The Withdoctor’s Bones. As the travellers and their guides slowly reveal their true (and sometimes twisted) natures, the tension ratchets higher and higher in a narrative that draws deeply on African lore and history, with echoes of Christie’s classic Ten Little Indians, Katherine Anne Porter’s Ship of Fools, and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
—TERRI FAVRO, author of The Proxy Bride
Lisa de Nikolits has done it again. This time she shines her characteristically unflinching but loving and humour-filled gaze on the land of her birth, deftly weaving Africa’s ancient witchcraft practices, superstitions, breathtaking beauty and disturbing struggles into the journey of a group of modern-day tourists — whose motives for coming on the “trip of a lifetime” are in some cases highly suspect. The myriad conflicts between the characters are handled so subtly and the physical terrain of southern Africa painted so vividly, you won’t be able to tear yourself away from your own seat on the bus, even as the body count begins to rise.
—BRENDA MISSEN, author of Tell Anna She’s Safe
Put together an international group of travelers, each with their own secrets, in a bus touring Africa and you have the makings of a very suspenseful tale! Lisa de Nikolits does a masterful job of drawing the reader in and not letting go until the last delicious word! Set against an exotic backdrop of Africa and Namibia, this story is a great read!
—JOAN O’CALLAGHAN, editor and contributing author of Thirteen
What I really enjoy about Lisa de Nikolits is her refusal to be pinned down to a particular genre. Besides the fact that The Witchdoctor’s Bones is so different from all her other novels, it’s also incredibly difficult to classify it in its own right. Part travelogue, part psychological thriller, part sociological and anthropological study, The Witchdoctor’s Bones entertains, educates and fascinates all at the same time. It’s a gripping read that draws you into the heart of darkness, both in the literal and figurative sense; the action takes place in untamed Africa, but it’s the darkness in the human heart that de Nikolits portrays with such chilling precision. It’s a page-turner that will keep you biting your nails right up to the bitter end.
—BIANCA MARAIS, http://biancamarais.com/ Musings of a Wannabe Writer
A cast of intriguing characters is thrust together for an African adventure. What results is far more perilous than anyone could have imagined. Against the beautiful backdrop of South Africa and Namibia, danger and death lurk around every bend in the road, as the trip of a lifetime becomes the holiday from hell. Within the pages of The Witchdoctor’s Bones multiple mysteries emerge, as Lisa de Nikolits takes the reader on a suspense-filled journey that won’t soon be forgotten.
—LIZ BUGG, author of the Calli Barnow Series
In The Witchdoctor’s Bones, Lisa de Nikolits drives a busload of seemingly normal souls into the heart of Africa, revealing the baggage they’ve dragged along, piece by sweaty piece. Against a backdrop of Bushmen tales and geography she clearly loves, de Nikolits creates by turns a lusty dusty romp and excursions to the nastier regions of human desire. Passions both wandering and misplaced pull the story ever deeper down a bumpy road. Well worth the trip!
—ROB BRUNET, author of Stinking Rich
If romance, suspense and serial killers under the African sun are your cup of tea, this book is for you.
—DUNCAN ARMSTRONG, writer, poet, spoken-word performer, TOpoet.ca
Copyright © 2014 Lisa de Nikolits
Except for the use of short passages for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced, in part or in whole, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording, or any information or storage retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program, and the financial assistance of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.
We are also grateful for the support received from an
Anonymous Fund at The Calgary Foundation.
Cover design: Lisa de Nikolits.
Cover artwork: Wopko Jensma
eBook development: WildElement.ca
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
De Nikolits, Lisa, 1966–, author
The witchdoctor’s bones : a novel / by Lisa de Nikolits.
(Inanna poetry & fiction series)
ISBN 978-1-77133-126-5 (pbk.)
I. Title. II. Series: Inanna poetry and fiction series
PS8607.E63W57 2014 C813’.6 C2014-902297-2
Printed and bound in Canada
Inanna Publications and Education Inc.
210 Founders College, York University
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
Telephone: (416) 736-5356 Fax: (416) 736-5765
Email: [email protected] Website: www.inanna.ca
ALSO BY LISA DE NIKOLITS
A Glittering Chaos
West of Wawa
The Hungry Mirror
The
Witchdoctor’s
Bones
a novel by
Lisa de Nikolits
INANNA PUBLICATIONS AND EDUCATION INC.
TORONTO, CANADA
This one’s for Dad.
And as always, Bradford Dunlop.
Contents
The Bushmen Tell a Story
of Porcupine, Tiger and Xau
The Route Travelled
The First Night
From Cape Town
to the Cedarberg Mountains
The Cedarberg Mountains
The Second Night
To Springbok and into Namibia
(the Gariep River)
The Third Night
To the Fish River Canyon
The Fourth Night
To Siesriem
The Fifth Night
Sossusvlei, Walvis Bay
and Solitaire
The Sixth Night
To Swakopmund
The Seventh Night
In Swakopmund
The Eighth Night
To Uis and Aba Huab
The Ninth Night
To Okaukuejo
and the Etosha Pan
The Tenth Night
The Etosha Pan
and on to Fort Namutoni
The Eleventh Night
The Aftermath
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Bibliography
The Bushmen Tell a Story
of Porcupine, Tiger and Xau
“XAU WAS A MAN WHO LIKED TO THROW THORNS…” the storyteller began.
“Throw thorns?” asked a man.
“Yes. Throw thorns between a man and his best friends. It is an ugly thing to do, something we forbid our children to do. Then one day Xau sat high in a tree trying to see where the gemsbok cows were grazing. He looked for the gemsbok but his heart longed to visit his beloved who lived in the grass. Suddenly he heard something approaching. He looked, turned his head, and saw Porcupine and Tiger.
“Porcupine was playing on his harp, singing “Jicky-jick … and one day when I am king of all the animals, Lion will have to carry the ashes away from my camp and Elephant will have to bring me tambootie grass. Jicky-jick … Jicky … jick… One day when I am king of all the animals, Warthog will have to dig roots for me, and Antbear will have to kill the ticks with his thick tail.”
Tiger was delighted to hear that Lion, who always robbed him of his food, would have to carry ashes. And he said to Porcupine: “My Brother, you and I have black and white spots. We must always walk together. We must always be friends. I shall be your watchdog, and will see that Lion does not leave ashes in your fire-place.”
When Xau heard them talk of a watchdog, an idea occurred to him. And he hurried to Tiger with his idea. He gladdened Tiger’s heart with these lying words: “Man-of-whose-teeth-Lion-is-afraid, you are king of all the animals. I am king of all the people. Let us walk the same road. Then our wives will not be angry when we visit our beloved friends. When I go to see my beloved in the grass seeds, you must keep watch.
But Rain, the woman of heaven, who can see into everyone’s heart, saw how Xau wanted to cheat on his wife. She was very angry that the daughters of the earth should be treated this way and so she sent a Winterwind to kill all the grass so that Xau could not see his beloved in the grass seeds.
So then, Xau said to Tiger: “Man-of-whose-teeth-Lion-is-afraid, you are king of all animals, I am king of all people. Let us walk the same road. Let us find gemsbok together.”
But wherever Xau and Tiger went they found only the tracks of gemsbok in search of new pastures. They searched and searched but found only the tracks. Then Tiger’s feet started to hurt him and he said to Xau: “The places you visit are too far away. My feet hurt. Look, they are bleeding. Porcupine never asked me to walk as far as you do. I want to go back to the black and white king who sings to me.”
But Xau entreated: “Just over this one sand dune and another one and then one more after that.”
Then Rain, the woman of heaven, commanded Winterwind, saying “Throw frost into the hollows, so that Tiger’s feet will crack.”
And Winterwind, who had no sympathy with the menfolk, pulled a heavy white blanket over the hollows through which Xau and Tiger had to walk. But Xau was a man of many plans. And he carried Tiger across the first hollow. Then Rain said to the Winterwind: “Push them from the front.”
Winterwind did so and she threw them over backwards. Tiger, who cushioned Xau’s back and head, struck the ground first. His back was broken.
Xau gazed at him and then looked again and said: “You good-for-nothing, you with your back made of grass, why didn’t you stay with your harp-playing king?”
Tiger’s throat constricted when he saw Xau was walking away from him through the white hollows.
Alone in the veldt, with a broken back, he knew he would soon be a meal for Wolf. Then Tiger wept bitterly. And Winterwind took up his cry and carried it to the listening ears of many wolves.
The Route Travelled
The First Night
SIXTEEN STRANGERS WAITED IN A HOTEL ROOM in Cape Town. Some had come to holiday, others to murder.
Kate chose the tour on a whim and now wondered what on earth she’d let herself in for. The itinerary said: Briefing at 8:00 p.m. All information will be supplied at this time. It was already well past the appointed hour and the guide had yet to show up.
“This is ridiculous.” A man shared his discontent loudly, his German accent pronounced. “If this is how the trip’s going to be run, I’m not going to be happy, I can tell you that right now.” The man was catalogue-dressed for a safari; his khaki shorts boasted ironed pleats and his leather hiking boots shouted newness, cracking as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. His wife patted his arm but she too looked anxious and unsure. “This is Africa,” another man offered. “Things run differently here.”
Kate guessed the new speaker was Eastern European. He was in his forties, with a broad forehead and a sharp, pointed chin and when his efforts to lift the mood failed, he frowned and started flicking through the pages of a spiral-bound notebook.
A heavy silence filled the room and Kate turned to the gothic girl standing next to her. The girl’s eyebrows, nose, and dimples were pierced; the latter giving her the appearance of smiling slightly even when she was not. Kate forced her attention away from the girl’s facial decorations and stuck out her hand, quickly withdrawing it and feeling stupid, this was not a business meeting. “I’m Kate.”
“Eva,” the girl said, grinning. “What do you think of the décor? Floral rules, man! And what’s with the shipwreck painting? Maybe it’s an omen.”
Kate was about to reply when another man stood up, yawned widely and stretched. “I simply must go and brush my teeth,” he announced with polished British vowels. “And splash my face with cold water or I’m in dreadful danger of nodding off rather rudely. We’ve been on a plane all day, we dropped our bags off and came straight to the briefing.”
He was tall, in his thirties, and had strong features: a bold, hooked nose and close-cropped, reddish-ginger hair. Kate found his accent to be at odds with his appearance although she couldn’t say why. “I’m Richard Conlon,” he added. “Perhaps one of you would be so kind as to come and give us a shout if the guide ever arrives, which I’m quite sure he will do, eventually. We’re in Room 10.”
“No problem, I’ll come and get you,” the Eastern European man offered, looking up from his notebook.
“Fantastic, thanks. Come on, Mia, my love.”
He reached for his partner who scrambled to her feet, tugging her sweater down over her generous chest. She giggled, embarrassed. “I think I nodded
off for a bit,” she yawned, rubbing her face. “Hope I weren’t drooling or nuffink.” Her voice was breathy and girlish and she was as round as her partner was hawk-like.
“This is completely unacceptable.” The German man spoke up again, hands on his hips. “Here we are, heading off into the middle of Africa with this kind of non-leadership. All of you are very calm about it, if you ask me.” He crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Thinks he’s Ernest Hemingway, spoiling for a fight while waiting for his buffalo-kill photo op,” Eva whispered to Kate who smiled and nodded in quick agreement.
At that moment, a stocky African man rushed into the room, his dark skin glistening with sweat. He had an untidy sheaf of papers under one arm and was struggling to catch his breath.
The British couple sank back into the sofa.
“Good evening, everybody!” The man smiled as he mopped his forehead on the sleeve of his T-shirt, “I am very sorry to be late! I hope you will forgive me. But I am here now, so let us get started. I am Jono Odili, your tour guide and I would like to welcome you all to Africa.” Jono’s English was thick with melodic Xhosa.
“I am late because the photocopier in the hotel is not working and so I had to run around to try to find one but that is another story. More importantly, I welcome you to this very interesting twelve-day journey from Cape Town to Windhoek and on our tour, we will travel through some of the most historic parts of Africa, not to mention the most beautiful. This is a spiritual land, the land of our forefathers, a land that has seen war and bloodshed, a land that literally shone with diamonds and gems, as if a hand from heaven decided to bless this part of the world, so that the sparkle could be seen from the sky. This is a land of heat and dust and you will wonder how anybody survived? But they did and we will learn how. You will also ride bikes across the sand dunes, canoe down rivers, hike into valleys, go sky diving, ride a camel, anything you like.”
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